A good cat food is rich in quality animal proteins. Being strict carnivores, our cats cannot live and stay healthy without a significant amount of animal proteins in their diet.

The percentage of protein in the feed gives an initial indication of the quality level of the mash but it cannot indicate on its own the quality level of the latter.

The percentage of protein indicated can be compared to the metabolizable energy or number of calories in the food to obtain the RPC or protein-calorie ratio. The latter makes it possible to evaluate the protein concentration of a food in relation to the calories it provides and therefore makes it possible to know the quantity of protein ingested in relation to the energy requirement covered.

For a sterilized cat, for example, we would prefer a low-calorie food with a high crude protein content, and therefore a high RPC as well.

Please note that the RPC is quantitative and not qualitative ! It does not allow the quality of the proteins present in the food to be assessed.

A high protein content is essential but does not indicate the quality of the proteins used. It is common to find in cat food reconstituted meat, ground carcass, skin or fatty part of the animal, with a lot of phosphorus and collagen (high hydroxyproline content) rather than muscle or noble offal.

“Bad proteins” are not used by the cat’s body and are eliminated in the urine. Excessive consumption of foods rich in phosphorus in particular can put excessive strain on the kidneys and eventually lead to chronic kidney disease.

How to know the quality of proteins?

To check this, a few indicators can help you see things more clearly:

* The protein-phosphoric ratio (RPP): qualitative protein sources, or those with high biological value (percentage of protein retained by the body) have a high RPP (greater than 35). These include: fish, meat, eggs and offal.

To calculate it, simply divide the crude protein rate by the phosphorus rate .

* Phosphorus level : The phosphorus level is an indirect indicator of quality. Phosphorus is present in cereals and meat. But it is found most in carcasses, cartilage and fish bones. If the phosphorus level in the food is high, the proteins probably come mainly from carcass rather than meat materials.

Be careful, a low phosphorus indicator is not a guarantee of quality in itself. If the proteins present in the food are of plant origin, the phosphorus level may be low but the protein will still not be of interest to the cat, a strict carnivore by nature.

* Crude Ash Content : The crude ash content indicates the amount of minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.) present in your cat's food, after complete combustion of the latter. The higher the latter, the more it is suggested that the food contains a significant amount of carcass!

Your cat's body is not adapted to absorb and metabolize too much carbohydrate. If there is an excess of ENA (starch and sugars) compared to energy needs, glucose is stored as glycogen or converted into fat by insulin.

A diet too rich in carbohydrates, in addition to not being well digested by all cats, could therefore have consequences on their health: overweight, obesity, diabetes, etc.

Starch is a carbohydrate found in cereals (rice, wheat, corn), legumes (peas, lentils, etc.) and tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.). These sources of sugars and starches are often used in the manufacture of cat food, however, unlike kibble, the manufacture of food does not require any starch.

Beware of deception, whether it is kibble or pâté, the mention "cereal-free" does not mean "starch-free", a pâté can be cereal-free but still contain a significant quantity of carbohydrates (for example from peas, potatoes or tapioca for example).

Since starch is not necessary for making a pâté, we will prefer a pâté that is very low in sugars and carbohydrates, especially if your cat has sensitive digestion or if it eats kibble at the same time (and therefore another source of starch in its diet).

This is a criterion that we should all analyze when choosing our cat's food. And for good reason; too much phosphorus can damage the cat's kidneys in the long term.

The best pâtés for your cat are rich in quality animal proteins, without starch but also low in phosphorus.

It is also important to compare the phosphorus level to the calcium level. For a healthy cat, a Ca/P ratio of between 1 and 2 is recommended.

Phosphorus should not be banned from your cat's diet because it is a micronutrient essential to the cat's body that participates in the synthesis of amino acids and proteins. It also allows your whiskered one's body to absorb calcium.

Ziggy pâtés for sterilized adult cats contain +55%* high-quality proteins :

- The protein-calorie ratio is 109.8 g/McalEM. ( high ratio, greater than 100 as recommended for sterilized adult cats )

- The protein-phosphoric ratio is 76.9 ( very largely > 35 )

- The crude ash rate (minerals) is 7.2% ( rate lower than market averages )

*% of dry matter of the feed

These elements demonstrate the quality of the animal proteins used in our pâtés.

To complement this, we carry out in-depth nutritional analyses on each of our productions, including amino acid analyses (aminograms) that we provide to our partners.

Proteins play a fundamental role for cats, in muscular and visual functions, immunity, reproduction, the nervous system, skin and coat health... Pâtés rich in quality proteins as well as a good supply of essential amino acids promote the development and maintenance of muscle mass, a cat in good health and comfortable in its paws!

Ziggy pâtés are starch-free! For the health of our little companions, we have reduced the amount of carbohydrates in our pâtés as much as possible: count only - 1% of carbohydrates in our pâtés for sterilized adult cats!

A recipe without starch, very low in carbohydrates, without cereals, composed of very high quality animal proteins and good vegetables, sources of fiber and deliciousness, to promote healthy digestion and less odorous stools .

Ziggy pâtés for sterilized adult cats contain only 0.13% phosphorus, which is a very low level, thus preserving your cat's kidney functions.

The Ca/P ratio of Ziggy pâtés is 1.5.

Ziggy pâtés for sterilized adult cats are perfectly balanced and contain only real good ingredients: high-quality animal proteins, vegetables, sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals and trace elements to delight your cat while taking care of him.

Ziggy pâtés are low in calories: 91 kcalEM/100g, helping to maintain your cat's ideal weight.

The pâté is on average 4x less caloric than kibble, rich in water and quality proteins, it provides volume in the stomach and few calories, and therefore better satiety which helps reduce the risks of obesity and overweight while preserving muscle mass.

Ziggy pâtés are complete foods. They provide all the nutrients necessary for your cat's good health: proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamins and minerals, all in sufficient quantities!